Tinomok

https://zettabites.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/crabstick-sandwich/

Tinomok is a dish hailing from the Bicol region of the Philippines. It is made with lean meat wrapped in taro leaves then simmered in coconut milk. There are many ways to make tinomok different. Some prefer to use pork while others prefer shrimp. That’s one way. Another way is through the coconut milk.

In the Philippines, it is not uncommon to find cooks pressing for their own fill of fresh coconut milk. Some use warm water to extract the milk at the second press. Others, however, use the coconut juice, which adds a sweetness to the overall flavor of the dish.

My mom first tasted this dish at Gerry’s Grill, a fairly popular restaurant in Metro Manila. My parents really enjoyed it, which is why my mom tried it out using ground pork. The first time, it made our throats itch. It turns out, the taro leaves had to be washed thoroughly under running water before boiling it at least half an hour to remove the crystals that cause the itching. It made the taro leaves slightly mushy, but it was just for wrapping so it wasn’t noticeable.

The next time around, my mom’s tinomok was not only itch-free, but perfectly cooked. (My mother doesn’t like making the same mistake twice.) The salty, creamy taste from the coconut milk along with the meaty flavor from the pork creates a thick, milky sauce that envelopes the meat.

Biting into a piece gives an initial taste of the taro leaf’s texture and the sauce’s sweet-and-saltiness, which will then be struck by a strong flavor of the seasoned pork meat slowly boiled to perfection.

Crabstick Sandwich

My mom makes sure everything is extra special when she makes us something to eat, even the ones that seem like no-brainers. I spend the week away from home due to college. I come home on Fridays and leave again on Mondays. There are times when my mother worries about what I eat during my week between at-homes. This (points to photograph) was one of those times. She had been worried that I would get caught in the rush hour traffic with nothing to eat if I got hungry, so she made me a sandwich.

This is made with slices of fresh whole wheat bread spread with a seasoned mustard dressing generously laden with crabsticks pulled into flavorful strings. Beneath them is a bed of crisp iceberg lettuce followed by a layer of half-inch apple slices. It sounds really simple, and it is, but the secret is really in the dressing.

The peppery, tangy flavor of the dressing, combined with the saltiness of the crabsticks, the crispness of the lettuce and the sweetness of the apple, just blend into your mouth with a satisfying crunch.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Add this to our master pasta list: spaghetti and meatballs. This specific photograph was taken during my eldest brother’s birthday last May, when my mom had cooked this for us. The recipe was taken off an old book, but she had her personal touches to it as well. Though it had taken a couple of times to tries to perfect, this time was, hands down, definitely superb.

For photographic purposes, the plate held a massive serving, but just one meatball was enough for a starving me.

Tuna and Capers

Our family consists of seven pasta monsters. Don’t ask us how we became that way, I think it was just wired into our system. Maybe it was my parents’ love for it and it was somehow passed on to us. I don’t really know. But this, I might say, is one of the best pasta dishes I have tasted so far. I guess it’s probably because my mom knows just how we like it.

Tuna and capers. There’s not much to say. It’s a tomato-based pasta dish with tuna, capers and fresh herbs. The resulting dish is slightly sour due to the tomatoes and the capers, but of course these are countered by seasoning. Canned tuna will do just fine, and can vary from pieces in brine to spicy chunks.

It is a recipe my mother stumbled upon during one of her experiments and has been a family favorite ever since.